Kev Green

STALK SUCCESS...


Kev Green, presenter of Discovery’s Carp Crew TV show and the Editor of Britain’s best-selling fishing magazine, Improve Your Coarse Fishing. A regular visitor to Miller waters, Kev has discovered that doing things a little differently can bring you a huge edge...
(Pictures by Brian Skoyles)


HOW many anglers stalk carp when they head to France?
Sure, there are some of you reading this who would never contemplate crossing the channel without packing tackle to stalk carp in the margins.
However, I also know lots of British anglers don’t consider ambushing carp in the edge when they go on holiday over the water.
From talking to a lot of anglers, I believe this is mainly due to the long session mentality we Brits adopt when we roll up for a week at a French carp lake.
I was as guilty as anyone for doing this.
Like the vast majority of anglers who book a lake for an annual holiday in France, I too can’t wait to hurl up my bivvy, create a baited area and get the rods out.
Like you, I want to get away from pressure of work, phone calls and deadlines and they soon drift away when I’m sat behind three rods watching 30lb carp topping over my bait!
Having spent several weeks fishing Miller waters in this style, I can understand the utter pleasure of relaxing like this, Tony and Lee’s lakes are the best venues I’ve ever visited to do this.
But, the fact that most visitors to Miller-owned venues fish in the same fashion does create an opportunity.
It gives you the chance to do something different by going stalking.


DO YOUR OWN THING
Carp do get conditioned to the ‘normal’ way anglers fish a lake. This means they can be spooked by coming across a fishing scene that’s lead to them making a bankside visit in the recent past.
Don’t forget, the Miller waters are so good that they are very popular. From spring until the end of autumn, their lakes are booked out and the carp receive a lot of attention from visiting carpers.
Like many lakes on this side of the channel, the French carp soon become accustomed to the rigs and baits we tend to use and they become wary of such obvious ‘traps’.
This is where stalking pays off. It allows you to approach the carp in a different way to the majority of anglers.
Carp that are used to seeing beds of boilies and pellets presented in similar areas of the lake, with bowstring lines cutting into the baited area, simply won’t be alerted by a small patch of different baits lowered into the margins on a slack line.
Being different gives you a carp-catching edge. It always has, it always will.


REST TO BRING REWARDS
What a lot of anglers don’t realise is that spending five or six hours a day stalking, in a different part of the lake to where you are bivvied up, also brings a less obvious benefit.
Let me explain.
Winding in your main leger rods and resting your baited area from fishing activity, massively relaxes the carp visiting the spot you have fed.
Carp entering this baited zone when there aren’t any lines cast there, are less likely to be spooked and they will enjoy a free scoff.
This massively boosts their feeding confidence and makes them far more catchable when you return to your rods and recast.
But resting a swim also works on a second, wider level.
No matter how good your bait is, the best attractor you can EVER have in your swim is the disturbance caused by other feeding fish.
Only carp that have absolutely no interest in feeding will fail to investigate an area where other carp are vigorously munching.
If you create an area that’s regularly visited by carp feeding confidently and competitively, you will create a magnet to attract even more fish.
This feeding multiplier is THE best way to boost your catches.
Yes, using a good quality bait is important, with all other things being equal a nutritional, tasty and attractive smelling bait will outfish a lower standard one. But the fact remains that creating a confident, competitive feeding scenario is the ultimate goal of using any good bait.
On a pressured, popular water resting a swim can give you a clear edge.


THE SIMPLICITY OF STALKING
When I stalk a Miller water I do it very simply.
After fishing through the night and the key morning feeding period, I usually wind in the leger rods at around 11am.
This is when I will start baiting up for the night ahead. Presuming that I’ve caught some carp during the previous few hours (as normally happens on a Miller venue!) I will scatter a kilo or two of Nutrabaits Trigga Ice boilies and pellets over my baited area.
This confidence gaining meal has been laid for later.
With this done I grab some more boilies and pellets then scoot off to the stalking spots I’ve already pinpointed, I scatter a few handfuls of freebies in these margin areas to get them cooking.
Guess what I do then?
As I’m holiday, want to chill out and have great accommodation on site, I go and have a shower and a nice lunch! Some of these lunches have even been known to last for an hour or two with a nice bottle of wine, some fresh local bread and Roquefort cheese getting involved. To think that people ask me why I love French carping so much!
Refuelled, I grab my stalking tackle and head off to the margin spots I’ve already baited.
I keep things simple to help me stay mobile, here’s my tackle check list:
• 9ft Greys Stalker rod - a brilliant tool
• Daiwa Regal Plus freespool reel - cheap, compact has a good drag
• Nash Lounge Lizard chair - I like to be comfortable
• Landing net - You’ll need it on a Miller water
• Unhooking mat - As above
• Shimano Tribal carryall holding my baits and end tackle


WHEN IT ALL COMES RIGHT
When I arrive at the margin spots I baited an hour or two earlier (prior to wine, bread and cheese), the first thing I check out is that I can still stand up straight (only joking!) and that the fish are not already feeding.
If there are no signs of life I swing the rig into the drink, along with a small PVA bag of crushed boilies to focus the carp’s feeding activity. I scatter bits of smashed boilies and pellets in the vicinity.
Because I want my set up to look different to that used by most anglers who fish the lake, I will usually use a heavy leger with a totally slack line to reduce the ‘spook factor’. I also don’t bait up with whole boilies, as most anglers must do when baiting up in the centre of the lake where they cast their leger rigs.
However, sometimes the carp do settle straight on a baited area so I look for feeding bubbles or plumes of mud being stirred up by. Casting on top of feeding carp is a no-no.
If I find fish already feeding I watch them for a while to see if they are circling the spot, this is when they have a feed, drift away from the area and then come back a few minutes later for another munch.
This pattern tends to happen if there aren’t lots of fish competing for food and gives you a convenient window to drop your bait into the swim when the carp have temporarily drifted off.
If the fish are more concentrated and are showing little sign of movement, I creep to the water’s edge and swing my bait into the drink 10 yards away from the spot where the fish are munching.
To draw carp the short distance from the baited area I attach a tiny PVA bag filled with two crushed boilies to my hook. If you swing the rig onto the surface on a long line, so the leger ‘kisses’ the water rather than smacks it, the PVA bag won’t amplify the splash.
Crushed boilies, especially top quality ones like Trigga Ice, pump out a powerful, natural smell. I often use this simple tactic as it tempts quick bites when carp aren’t far away.
If I have got my rig in the water without spooking the fish the only thing I may risk adding are 10-20 quick-breakdown 3/6mm pellets to help draw the fish the few yards to my hookbait.
Once again I am careful to limit disturbance, I don’t throw the pellets in by the handful, that would be far too noisy. Instead I flick in one pellet at a time over a period of five minutes.
With job done I set up my old Nash chair (it’s a very low design to keep me off the skyline) and begin the waiting game.
This is the bit for which I can’t write any predictions - sometimes the response is quick, sometimes it takes hours.
On one trip to Fortinieres I caught quickly on most afternoons that I visited a small spot I kept baited behind one of the islands.
Last year, during a visit to Meunier, I completely blanked on the first afternoon I tried this tactic then followed it the next day with one of my all-time best captures.
Flicking my rig, baited with two halved Ice boilies into the same spot I’d fished the previous day, I waited for two hours before I saw plumes of mud colour the water. A pack of carp had found the pre-bait and were ripping up the bottom.
Eye-balling my slack line, drooping limply from the rod, it was a magical moment when it yanked tight, the tip whipped round and the freespool started to whine.
So began one of the best carp fights I have ever enjoyed (endured?). For at least 45 minutes the hooked beast ploughed up and down the shallows of Meunier, the clear water was stained a deep chocolate-brown by the repeated charges the carp made.
On a 9ft stalking rod it really was great fun but I was relieved when my fishing mate, Brian Skoyles, jumped in the lake to get a better netting angle and ended the mental torture!
Weighing over 42lb it is the biggest carp I’ve ever caught in the edge and I felt a huge sense of achievement. I’d done something different, laid a bait trap and coaxed a very big fish to fall into it.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
But you know what made the capture even more special?
Returning to my leger rods and recasting onto my rested baited area I was posing for another picture within the hour...with a stunning 39-pounder!
It capped one of the most memorable afternoon’s I’ve ever had.

GO STALK SUCCESS
There you have it then. I’ve shown you how productive and exciting stalking can be on Miller’s French carp fisheries and proved that not fishing your main baiting area can actually help you catch more fish, not less.
Try the tactic yourself and I’m sure you’ll enjoy a great Miller holiday.

Kev Green.

Brian Skoyles Meunier /Summer 2006

The Diary of Brian Skoyles … aged ?....Too Old

For many years I’ve kept a fishing diary. It’s not always up to date with all the odd day trips etc, but I do make a special effort for all my main trips, and I love sitting behind the rods on a warm evening just flicking through the pages, reliving past successes and failures as I wait for the buzzer to sound and I start scrambling for the rods.
I often get asked why I love fishing abroad so much. It’s not just about catching big fish, although that helps. To me it’s the complete package. Exploring the surrounding area, eating out, sampling the local wine and food specialities, observing the different wildlife. It’s when all these things come together that the “fishing trip” becomes a “holiday to remember”.
Most of the Miller waters offer you the opportunity to have that “holiday to remember” and it occurred to me that some diary extracts from last summer’s trip to Etang Meunier would illustrate exactly what I mean.

Saturday ….. Not the best of drives down. Paris Peripherique solid, and plenty of heavy rain, but we’re here now and the lake looks fantastic in the evening sun. Leisurely unpack and organise. Sort fishing gear and get ready for an early start in the morning. Put a bit of bait out as an appetiser, then open a bottle of red to go with the baguette and camembert ….. the holiday starts here.

Sunday ….. Standing on the balcony just before first light, a lovely warm morning in prospect. The sky is getting lighter, and I can just start to make out the far bank detail …. time to get the rods out.
Conditions looked promising but no actual takes on the rods.
Wound in for a trip to the Sunday market in Panazol, a village about thirty minutes away. Panazol really is a great market, with loads of local produce. We stocked up on veg, things for the barbi, bread, and cakes. I stand and marvel at the range of fish being sold on what must be the biggest travelling wet fish shop in France. Karen bought some presents and I wanted to buy this metre high straw giraffe but was out-numbered by the more sensible members of the Skoyles family … no sense of taste!
Back at the lake …. after a bit of lunch went stalking in the shallows. Nice start, with a 34/4 mirror.
Back on the main rods, odd fish showing, and two runs (33/6 mirror and 31/6 common). Time to bait up, time for a beer, time for bed!

Monday ….. An awesome morning. Simply perfect fishing conditions, calm, overcast, warm. Not much obvious signs of fish feeding with just the odd patch of bubbles, but two runs produced a brace of forties (48/12 and 44/10) … magic!
Then a short rest, before being towed around by a 24/0 cat.
Into Limoges for a meal and shopping, then back on the rods mid p.m. fish showing in the middle area. Two takes at once 28/8 for me, and 41/4 to Karen who took the second run as I was playing the 28. I got that wrong!
End of a simply awesome day with another forty 45/8. Barbi and bed

Tuesday ….. A good night’s sleep and back on the rods for first light. A really atmospheric dawn with the mist swirling in the early morning sun. Fish bubbling over the baited area. First run within minutes of getting the rods out (25/0). And a second a bit later, another stunning forty (42/10) and a third as I’m writing this (31/2) …. Hot and happy!
Afternoon, sight seeing and shopping in Ambazac, then back for a bit of stalking, but no takes. Barbi in the evening, then baited up and bed.

Wednesday ….. First light unbelievable bubbling and plenty of fish action. (18/0, 25/12 and 27/10) plus a fish dropped. Packed up mid morning. After my shower we headed off for the day. We had picked up several brochures earlier on in the week and fancied a trip to Aixe-sur-Vienne. The Limoges area is famous for its porcelain and Aixe-sur-Vienne featured a large walk round porcelain factory, which Liz and Karen liked the look of (spending money might come into this!). We had a general walk round when we got there. Took some pics of the bridge over the river, and found a restaurant for lunch. What a meal, it was superb. I had this seafood starter that was out of this world, worth the trip just for that alone. The factory tour was very good and yes it did cost us money in the shop on the way out.
Back at the lake early evening, put the rods out for an hour or so before the main baiting up. The rest has obviously done the swim good, as a lovely 39/2 mirror made its way over the net. Packed up as it started raining … proper carp angler, wimp, or wot!

Thursday ….. Colder and still raining, lake looks much quieter, no bubbling or topping. I plan to fish all day today, and maybe even the night. Sun out mid morning and it woke the fish up, with two in quick succession 37/4 common and 40/3 mirror.
Stalking down the shallows with Karen in the afternoon on the lighter carp rods for a bit of fun. One take … ONE CAT 64/0. Karen hates cats …. Happy faces on the pics!
Baited up late afternoon for the night then had a barbi and a couple of beers.
Rods out just before dark, with some heavy clouds forming over the area. Quiet start then two fish in quick succession (37/8 common and 16/0 mirror).
The rest of the night was a blur, which I think I enjoyed …. Rain, thunderstorms, fish landed, fish lost, towed about by another cat ….. total mayhem! ….. It just doesn’t get any better, but I could do with being 20 years younger!

Friday ….. Early morning stopped for a shower and did the bread run, back on the rods the carp were still feeding with fish of 40/12, 41/2 35/10 and 19/2 … unreal!
Leisurely afternoon, gradually getting packed away and the car loaded.
Dodging showers and catching a couple of fish 30/10 common and 35/8 mirror.
Rest of the day was uneventful except for the rain and more rain.
Packed up wet but very happy. The end of a superb session!

Saturday ….. 6-00 a.m. car is ready, we’re ready, as we slowly drive along the dam wall, a glance to my left as a large patch of bubbles explodes on the surface, where has the week gone? …… we’ll be back, next year is already booked …. time for the A20.

……………………………………….

For the more technical anglers among you. Although I call this holiday angling I take the fishing very seriously. Most of these lakes are fished heavily and the fish can get wised up. I always think very carefully about bait and bait application. I take the best quality bait I can, preferring frozen bait to ready-mades. The last few years my chosen bait has been Trigga plus or Trigga Ice plus. I allow at least 3 kilo a day, and have two of the largest Fox cool bags and loads of ice-packs to transport it. I bag my bait up in 1 kilo bags before the trip so I can plan its use as the week progresses, and I don’t run short in the second half of the week. I usually back this up with top quality pellets and/or Hinders French Mix (soaked in evaporated milk, Multimino, and lake water), depending on the water. I also usually mix a few small sized ready-mades in with the pellet mix, as I like to vary the bait sizes as much as possible. It keeps the fish guessing when they come to hook-baits. On the Miller water top quality pellets are stocked and it saves you having to take them with you.
I bait up regularly. The main baiting up is usually in the evening, but I will top up during the day if the fish are really having it.
I often do not fish the nights. This is not laziness this is tactical. I firmly believe that you can over pressurize your swim when you are there for the week or fortnight, and the rest to the swim by having some of the nights off can really improve your results. Since adopting this approach, I can say without hesitation my catch rates have improved, so less fishing can equal more fish!
………………………………………..

The diary extracts above are from last summer’s holiday at Etang Meunier. We were there for two weeks and for the record we had 16 forties, 26 thirties, 18 twenties, 8 doubles, and 7 cats best 64lbs.
I hope it gives you a real flavour of a holiday session at a Miller water. Obviously the weather etc plays a big part in what you do, and the fish don’t always feed as well as they did for us this year, but one thing you can be guaranteed of is that the potential is there ….. If it’s your turn for a “holiday of a lifetime” just relax and enjoy!

Brian Skoyles

Brian Skoyles

(Holiday Fishing …. “With Style”)
(Brian Skoyles)
I first fished a Miller water in the summer of 99 ( sounds a bit like a cue for a Bryan Adams song ), and I’ve been going back ever since. All in all I’ve had 16 trips, so you would be right in guessing that I like what the Millers provide. There’s not been a bad trip amongst them and probably six or seven of them would be in the running for places in my all time top ten fishing trips.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked about where to fish in France, and I always start the answer with a question of my own …. What do you want from the trip?
If you travel to France for a carp fishing holiday, you have a wide range of fishing situations to pick from. You could become a pioneer and search out the uncaught whacker from some huge inland sea, or majestic river. You could live in luxury and fish out of your bedroom window for easy fish of almost any size. You could rough it on a drive and survive, or be driven to your swim in a luxury coach with gear, bait and meals provided. The range is endless, so you need to pick carefully.
Over the years I’ve enjoyed all styles of fishing, but over the last few years I’ve particularly enjoyed what I call “my holiday fishing”. Holiday fishing has three strands 1) The potential for some great fishing. 2) Suitable for all the family, and 3) A range of general holiday things to see and do, like eating out, sightseeing etc.
It is this style of holiday that the Millers provide for brilliantly.
The Skoyles management team, Liz and Karen, do not do “slumming”. If Brian and Martyn are to fish happily, then the bosses have to be happy …. take my word for it, I know from experience! All the Miller waters I have fished have accommodation that Liz and Karen are happy to stay in. Clean, well equipped, satellite TV, video, basically all you need to live comfortably.
You’re never far from local shops and major supermarkets and with a little research you can find places to visit and things to do, especially if you have children and/or older non fishing members of the family with you.
So that just leaves the fishing. Like any lake you cannot guarantee fish crawling up your rods, but if you are on a Miller water you can be sure that there are enough quality fish in front of you to keep you busy should you get it right.
Over the years I’ve had some simply awesome sessions and just sitting here writing this has brought the memories flooding back.
One of my first trips was to Etang Beausoliel. A small lake, so quiet and peaceful you cannot help but relax, except if you have a session like Martyn and I had. 68 carp, with 52 over twenty. Four cats to nearly 50lbs. We nearly got too tired to enjoy ourselves!
Then there was Le Mans. A bigger water perhaps better suited to the more serious angler About 10 acres in total, with two small islands. I’ve had several trips to Le Mans. Some as a family, some with Kev Green and Martyn on proper lads fishing trips. We’ve had carp to 48lbs and cats to well over a 100lbs. Epic hour plus battles in the dark with fish you cannot lift on your own. Powerhouse runs that leave you soaked in sweat and shaking like a leaf. The best week was a “lads” trip with Kev, Martyn and myself, for an Angling Times feature. We totalled 8 times 40lb+, 14 times 30+, 14 times 20lb+, and several cats. My best 80lbs, Martyn was top of the tree that week, with a 108lb monster.
Then there was the 30lb grass carp that Martyn had to play twice, as it leapt from the landing net after the first netting. I swear it fought just as hard the second time.
For two years we travelled to the Brenne National Park Region to Les Fortinieres.
Les Fortinieres is probably the best of the Miller waters if you want loads of things to do away from the bankside. Using Les Fortinieres as a base we’ve had days out to Etang Bellebouche (loads of pedaloes, beach, swimming, restaurant etc). Futurascope is well within reach, one of France’s biggest theme parks with loads to see and do. Make sure you stay for the evening laser show … truly spectacular. There is also one of the best zoo’s we’ve ever been to, within an hour’s drive.
On site there is a small private swimming pool, where everyone can splash about, and Chateauroux is well worth a visit for some serious shopping …. as far as Karen is concerned no holiday is complete without spending loads of money on clothes.
Oh, and by the way the fishing ain’t half bad either! A lovely looking water, with a central island, and a shallow area ideal for stalking. My best trip to Les Fortinieres coincided with the worst weather for August that the locals could remember. Several days of torrential rain, had us paddling across the usually dry lawns. The fish loved it, and Martyn, Karen and I, banked 93 carp between us. 79 of which were over twenty pounds. Liz stayed in the dry, making sure the wine and beers, were chilled to the right temperature ….. all of twenty yards away from where we were fishing!
The following year we went a bit further down the A20 into the Limousin region and had a holiday at Etang Meunier. Many people go to Etang Meunier, get home and ring to book a return trip. The Skoyles clan were no exception; we’re already in the book for 2006 and 2007! A simply fabulous place to stay and fish, where else can you sit and have breakfast up above the lake, fish spotting, over the warm baguette and coffee, before going “downstairs” to fish for some of the most stunning carp you will ever have seen … and big with it! Later in the day you can wander around the lovely lake with a stalking rod to the shallows.
One day, I’d wandered down to the shallows, with one rod and just a few bits and pieces. I found three fish feeding with their tails out of the water. I could see them clearly, two looked big, and one a smaller fish. I decided to float fish a couple of metres out from the bank, loose feeding small handfuls of crushed boilies, and watching the three fish, moving about eating the bits of boilies. My float which was dipping and wobbling about, eventually slid away, I could clearly see which of the three fish had got the bait …. It was the smaller one! A bit later, on the scales it went 41lbs …. I’d love to know what the other two weighed!
We had trips out to Limoges, found some lovely places to eat, like the lakeside café at Lac de St Pardoux, and visited one of the best open air markets that we have ever walked round ….. Karen spending money again.
We stayed for two weeks, I only “bothered” to fish one night. What I found worked well for me, was to fish into the evening, then wind in and bait up the swim. Then it was time to light the barbecue and have a couple of glasses of wine. Then a reasonably early night, and up for first light. Several mornings I had fish within a few minutes of getting the rods out ….. a magic way to start the day. That holiday I had 27 fish over thirty pounds, and 9 over forty …. Not bad for “casual” fishing!
My most recent memory is of probably the most hectic fishing holiday I’ve ever had….. Etang Bertie.
Tony and Jean have their own home at Etang Bertie, and I first saw the lake soon after it had been dug. I’ve got to be honest, I thought it would take several years before it would look nice, and be worth fishing. I was wrong, August 05, and the Skoyles family, minus Martyn who had to work, had their first holiday at Etang Bertie. I was amazed how much the vegetation had grown on. It has already become a lovely lake to fish, and what fishing. Again it was holiday fishing at it’s best. I didn’t do a night. We visited the seaside, ate out at a superb local restaurant, just a short drive away, recommended by Tony. We did the tourist bit to Laval, Karen spending money again, and generally chilled out.
At first we caught lots of tiny “carplets”, the carp have bred a bit too successfully, but as the bait got established the bigger fish took over, and boy did they feed. Carp wise, we had 11 doubles, 89 twenties (yes 89), and 11 thirties. Oh, and we also had a couple of cats, some good tench, and a couple of sturgeon.
The little carp are being removed so the bigger fish will get all the food, I hate to think how many big fish will end up in this lake. I think I will go into training before my next trip to Bertie!
I’ve got a serious word count problem, but how do you describe such a wealth of superb fishing, and still do it justice. If you book a Miller water, you won’t be guaranteed non stop rod bending action, no water can honestly say that, because you are dealing with variables of fish behaviour and nature. What you can be guaranteed is exceptionally well stocked, well run waters, where the owners will do everything they can to make it possible for you to have that trip of a lifetime, and you can’t ask any more than that …. I’m off to check my booking for next year!
Have a great holiday ….. leave a few for me!

Kev Green

FRANCE is my annual bolt hole. Every year for the last decade or so, I’ve headed across the channel for a week to get away from the daily grind of deadlines and ringing phones.
Working for Angling Times and then becoming Editor of Britain’s biggest angling magazine, Improve Your Coarse Fishing, is a great occupation but it does impose a hectic lifestyle.
Consequently when I do manage to get away all I want to do when I reach my destination is to cast in and chill out, safe in the knowledge that at least one or two big carp are likely to come my way over the following few days.
I’d hazard bet that many of you treat your fishing trip to France in the same vein.
Yes it does matter what you catch, but of equal importance is the tranquilly of the surroundings and the relaxed atmosphere of the fishery.
That’s why I consider Tony and Lee Miller’s outstanding venues to be home-from-home.
Over the last few years I’ve paid repeated visits to the Miller’s waters and on each occasion I’ve got exactly what I wanted - peaceful, relaxing fishing with welcome interruptions from fabulous big carp.
Unlike many French venues, where you need to book a swim in advance or even draw for your peg with other anglers when you arrive on site, at a Miller water you are ‘the boss’.
The only people on the lake are you and your party.
This means mates, family or even individuals can set off for France safe in the knowledge that they aren’t going to face a fight for the best swims when they get there.
The water won’t be packed, all the swims will be available and both fish and the accommodation will be clean, comfortable and welcoming.
I can’t stress just how important this is for my angling holiday, I know from discussions with many other anglers that it is equally important for them too.
In fact when I’ve turned up at a Miller water with my usual travelling companions, Brian and Martyn Skoyles, the first thing we’ve often done is had a meal, sunk a couple of beers and gone to bed to recharge our batteries!
Compare such a relaxed approach to the military-style regime that’s imposed on some French waters.
As for the fishing, well it is difficult to know where to start.
Of the Miller waters I have fished Le Mans is certainly my favourite, not just because it contains loads of big and beautifully conditioned carp, but because it is a ‘proper’ carp fishery that rewards good angling.
Although there are lots of carp in the water and I’ve had some truly memorable hauls, it is the sort of the venue where the observant and thoughtful angler can really prosper.
The fish can move a lot, alter their feeding activities and challenge you. It’s far from fishing in an artificial, ‘aquarium-style’ carp fishery. I love it.
As a word of general advice I’d say any first time Le Mans visitor needs to arm themselves with a good quantity of top quality freezer boilies, pellets and particles.
I have massive faith in Nutrabaits Trigga Ice boilies and Hinders range of Slicker and betaine pellets. Obviously you’ll use what you’re confident in, but I’d advise that your baits are proper feed baits of a similar quality.
I’d also advise you to keep your eyes and ears open.
The Le Mans carp do tend to give hints to their preferred feeding areas, especially after dark and at first light, when they frequently break the surface or send up chains of bubbles.
Don’t ignore such signs and do be aware of groups of fish moving to either the deeper end of the lake or the shallows.
In my experience the carp can group up in quite large numbers - if you can get on them some massive catches are possible.



2006 and beyond...

My appreciation of the Miller’s carp fisheries means that when I was commissioned to produce another television series for the Discovery Real Time channel, this time with carp as the subject, I had no hesitation in picking one of their waters as a location.
In spring 2006 I’ll be heading for Meunier to spend a week filming a programme for Discovery as part of the ‘Carp Crew 2’ series.
Due for screening in late 2006 or early 2007, the show will detail my session on the lake with Bri Skoyles.
I believe the show will be a showcase for the quality of Tony and Lee’s lakes but above all I can’t wait for the filming to start because I’ve been trying to get a week at Meunier for years!
Now that I’ve managed to get in the cameras had better not get in the way of a great week.
The best recommendation I can give for the Miller’s lakes is that you can book a venue safe in the knowledge that you’re visiting a fishery boasting top quality fishing and utter seclusion - relax and enjoy.



Kevin Green
Editor, Improve Your Coarse Fishing

Kev Green, Martyn and Brian Skoyles.

What a place Le Mans is!

The three of us ended the week with an overall total of 4 doubles, 14 twenties, 14 thirties, and 8 forties. Oh and I nearly forgot Cats of 41lb, 76lb, and 108lb. Bailiff Mike "The Catman" has to be one of the top cat landers I've ever come across. I suspect he's going to have a busy season.

If you've not booked Le Mans yet get your diaries out ... But leave a week for me.